The present invention relates to an apparatus for applying a plug member to the end of a fiber optic waveguide cable.
The rapid growth of fiber optics technology created the need for a low-cost connector which could be readily applied to the end of a fiber optic waveguide cable to facilitate coupling with another cable. Early optical systems required polishing and epoxy bonding techniques, but the development of low attenuation plastic fiber enabled the development of a connector system allowing much faster end finish and assembly. Such a connector, marketed by AMP Incorporated and sold under the name OPTIMATE, is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,418,983, which is hereby incorporated by reference. The OPTIMATE connector comprises a plastic plug member having a metal retention sleeve therein which receives the end of a waveguide cable which is cut and stripped to expose the optical fiber therein. The sleeve is then pushed into the connector where it is seated by lances on the sleeve which pierce the inside of a bore through the connector or plug member. Lances on the inside of the sleeve pierce the jacket on the cable to position it relative to the plug member, and the fiber is then trimmed flushly with the end of the plug member. The plug member as applied to the end of an optical cable is then mated against another plug member in an open-ended receptacle for continuous optical transmission.
Development of the connector system described above made automation of the terminating procedure desirable from a standpoint of cost and quality control.